"A habit of basing convictions upon evidence, and of giving to them only that degree or certainty which the evidence warrants, would, if it became general, cure most of the ills from which the world suffers."
-- Bertrand Russell
Brandon Mitchener
A former journalist turned European public affairs adviser, I use my experience to try to help people better understand and shape the world around them. I specialize in political communications training and strategies related to technology, health, science, sustainability and European integration. I delight in fighting and helping others fight fake news, fear, uncertainty and doubt.
My horizontal experience includes German and European politics and economics, European business regulation, communications strategy and management, key message development and storytelling, media relations, media training, crisis communications, social media, European public affairs, coalition management, association management, and general project and campaign management.
My sectoral experience includes agriculture, food, chemicals, public health, animal health, renewable energy, information technology, aviation, travel and the automotive industry, among others.
A citizen of the United States and France, I spent the first 15 years of my career as a journalist and foreign correspondent for Dow Jones Newswires, The International Herald Tribune and The Wall Street Journal in New York, Frankfurt am Main and Brussels. I covered international financial markets, German unification, the European automotive industry, the introduction of the euro, European Union summits and European competition, technology and food safety policies, among other topics.
Since moving to Brussels in 1998, for four years each I led communications for consultancy APCO Europe, was head of communications for solar energy leader First Solar Inc. in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Thailand, India and Vietnam and led corporate communications and marketing for agricultural technology leader Monsanto Co. in Europe and the Middle East.
I founded my own consulting company in January 2017. Since then, my clients have included the European Business Aviation Association, of which I was CEO for a year; the European Chemicals Industry Council, Cefic, for which I wrote its Mid-Century Vision, Molecule Managers; the Federation of European Risk Management Associations; and the Brussels office of Instinctif Partners, where I led the office and served clients all across Europe.
I have a Master’s of Science in Journalism from Columbia University in New York and a Bachelor of Arts degree in German literature and international relations from Wabash College in Indiana.
I speak English, German, French and Italian and have two grown sons. A licensed sommelier, I run a side business around wine education and wine sales (see link below).
ABOUT TERRE MIELI CIELI ADVISORS
I believe all good communications need to start with personality and authenticity, so my company is closely connected to me. I love Italy and Italian. Terre Mieli Cieli is Italian for "earth", "honey" and "sky", respectively. Why earth? Because I grew up in farm country, worked in the agribusiness sector and believe in keeping things simple, or down to earth. If the common man can't understand what you're saying, you have already lost the battle. Honey symbolizes the fruits of the land and of our labor, from food to wine to airplanes, life-saving medicines and intellectual property. It's also the sweet spot when we get a story right. And sky? Because I have worked in the solar and aviation sectors and because we need to aim high, settle for realistic, and always pay attention to context: There's no point planting corn in the desert or pitching a message or story that's too weak to command people's attention at a given moment in time.
This website is about my B2B consulting work. If you're interested in my wine business, please visit my other website.